Aerofly FS 2 needs faster action now

  • Aerofly FS 2 has been my favourite sim for the past several years. With all my love I feel more and more the urgency and I have to express it here.

    The wind is changing. The big player is coming, and it's coming fast. There is less than a year left for Ipacs to make some critical decisions. We all have to adapt to the change.

    With limited resources, Ipacs can't change everything in such a short time. So the question remains to be what the priority will be. Everybody has his own preference, but it's not time to please everybody. You have to consider your advantage and appeal in the face of the new situation. Keep the core advantage, mend the holes, and look for some new selling points that might not be available from the opponent.

    Core advantage: Modern engine, nice graphics, low computer requirement, VR, easy to get into...please keep up the good work!

    Holes: for me the lack of water is a major hole that needs to be mended as soon as possible.

    New selling points: I don't think FS2 can compete with other sims in air dynamics and study level aircraft realism, so we have to develop our unique attractions. Sometimes we can even turn weakness into strong points. As other sims are aiming at the more serious simmers, FS2 can appeal to the more general public, and the newbies who want to fly. Yes that would be a big market, and the interest will be at its new height as MS is entering the market again. I am thinking FS2 can really do better in flight lessons, aircraft tutorials, and missions. Make flight training easier and more immersive, and more people will be hooked. I am thinking of a lifelike AI instructor that sits beside the player and teach you everything hand-in-hand. You can also consider strengthening the "game" aspect of the game. After all, flight simulation is game, isn't it?

    It's a time of challenge, and challenge can lead to change. Wish you all well!

    Edited 3 times, last by frui (January 30, 2020 at 2:22 PM).

  • The wind is changing. The big player is coming, and it's coming fast. There is less than a year left for Ipacs to make some critical decisions. We all have to adapt to the change.

    Why don't making another change?. Just buy another sim, you can have three choices: the upcoming new one, P3Dv5 (coming up later this year, but no news about when exactly) or X-Plane (who I think is preparing the new version 12).

    Of course, you can keep your current installation of AFS2 for doing, as you said, GA - VFR flying.

    Cheers, Ed

  • Why don't making another change?. Just buy another sim, you can have three choices: the upcoming new one, P3Dv5 (coming up later this year, but no news about when exactly) or X-Plane (who I think is preparing the new version 12).

    I own all currents civilian sims (P3D4, XP11, AeroflyFS2 [not to mentions FlyinsideFS]). Based on my experience, this suggestion may have some merits, but also some drawbacks.

    (i) You must be really rich to stuff all of them with up-to-date addons (that's what John Venema suggested time ago ... for obvious reasons). Or you select only one of them for adding addons only, then the other ones will look poor and you soon get tired of them,

    (ii) You have to maintain all of them with updates, not only for the sim but also for the addons. With at least three sims, this time stacks up considerably. So, even if there is a host of freeware available for AeroflyFS2, it takes quite some time to properly install it, even more, as it usually comes without any installers.

    (iii) All of the simes need special configurations, keystroks you have to recall, sometimes little tricks to get them running properly, notably under VR etc. I use a configuration with my controls connected to a networked laptop for P3D using SPAD.neXt, while I have to reconnect them to the main machine for XP11 and AeroflyFS2. Then, there is often "something" not working properly after changing configuration.

    And so on. Personally, I got tired of spending money and time for just buying addons for and maintaining three sims instead of flying. So XP11 fell out of the loop. I'll certainyl have to re-evaluate the situation after the new MSFS will become available.

    Kind regards, Michael

    Intel i7-6700K 4.0 GHz / Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER / Kingston 32 GB DDR4 / Samsung SSD M.2 500 GB + Samsung SSD 1 TB + Intel SSD 500 GB (AeroflyFS2) + WD HD 6 TB / EVGA GTX 1080Ti 11 GB / LG 34UM95 3440 x 1440 / HP Reverb / Win 10/64

  • So, even if there is a host of freeware available for AeroflyFS2, it takes quite some time to properly install it, even more, as it usually comes without any installers.

    Yup. There are a few large scale sceneries out now that I have a passing interest in, but...... No installers, scant instructions, Confusion about which files are even required and which are outdated........ leads to massive time investment and hence self-limited uptake.

    Devons rig

    Intel Core i5-13600K - Core i5 13th Gen 14-Core (6P+8E) @ 5.5Ghz / G.SKILL Trident Z5 RGB Series 32GB RAM DDR5 6000 / GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070Ti GAMING OC 12G / Sound Blaster Z / Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset / Klipsch® Promedia 2.1 Computer Speakers / ASUS ROG SWIFT PG279Q ‑ 27" IPS LED Monitor ‑ QHD / 6x Samsung SSD/NVME's various sizes / Windows 11 Pro 64-bit / GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS ELITE AX LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard DDR5

  • We're already working on big new features behind the scenes but it's too soon to announce them. Big and important features but also new and Aerofly FS unique features are currently being worked on.

    That's the most encouraging words to hear. It's great you are being inventive and adventurous. I really wish you prosperous!

  • We're already working on big new features behind the scenes but it's too soon to announce them. Big and important features but also new and Aerofly FS unique features are currently being worked on.

    Everyone here knows my previous posts, knows my positions, and knows that I have bought every single piece of third party software that has ever been offered for FS2. Despite what some may think, my public support for the program has been unwavering. But Jan, that response is exactly the same one that Ipacs has been giving for OVER THREE YEARS. It is tired, to say the least. It is time to put your cards on the table. To say that we have been both loyal and patient is a massive understatement. We don't ask for miracles. We just want a basis for continued support.

    As other sims are aiming at the more serious simmers, FS2 can appeal to the more general public, and the newbies who want to fly.

    I completely agree with this. Fill in the obvious gaps, but don't try to compete with the PMDG crowd. Doing that will alter the program AND fail to draw in those who already are committed to that mode of simulation.

    Just my two cents. You will probably delete it, but I care enough to try.

  • "We're already working on big new features behind the scenes but it's too soon to announce them. Big and important features but also new and Aerofly FS unique features are currently being worked on."

    and not even a hint at whether it is a Big Airbus that the same 3 users keep requesting, or a world of water that would make me happy, or a sky full of AI aircraft, or some means of communicating (ATC), or multi-player capability, or some sort of weather program or a truly "new and unique" Aerofly feature, like maybe a tow plane for a glider.

    Too many options for me to guess. As far as being too soon to announce, wait a little longer and it really won't matter - there will not be anyone waiting around to hear. 8o^^=O;)

  • And so on. Personally, I got tired of spending money and time for just buying addons for and maintaining three sims instead of flying. So XP11 fell out of the loop. I'll certainyl have to re-evaluate the situation after the new MSFS will become available.

    I agree. Three sims is way too much. I have just two, P3Dv4.5 (main) and AFS2, no more. I must also admit that keeping up with a sound and working installation of P3D is time and a kind of a "brain" consuming task. I've never tried X-Plane.

    By the time MSFS2020 goes out and we know exactly what is inside it (and not those mere speculations and expectations that very often leads to frustration), a decision have to be made (by me, of course) to decide which one of the old two will be dropped out. And, have to confess also that to me it'll be difficult to think in dropping P3D out for several reasons (the main reason, and finance experts call it "sunk costs", I have invested a pretty good amount of money in addons for it already to simply say goodbye).

    We're facing a time of changes in the flightsim industry, but for good. We can speculate a lot about the new MSFS2020 and the next versions of the other main simulators, but something is for sure, people will have to invest good money in new hardware and new addons to cope with something that's called progress and innovation.

    Cheers, Ed

  • and not even a hint at whether it is a Big Airbus that the same 3 users keep requesting, or a world of water that would make me happy, or a sky full of AI aircraft, or some means of communicating (ATC), or multi-player capability, or some sort of weather program or a truly "new and unique" Aerofly feature, like maybe a tow plane for a glider.

    Hint: Your guesses are in the right direction :)